Thursday, July 28, 2016

FROM PIERCE DRUNK TO PIERCE SOBER

Thomas Nast political cartoon.

Cortland
Standard and Weekly Journal, Friday,
October 21, 1892.

From Pierce
Drunk to Pierce Sober.

We
desire to appeal from Franklin Pierce Esq., drunk with the lunacy and recklessness
of a free trade reformer for revenue only, to Franklin Pierce Esq. in the
possession of all his faculties, stating facts as they are and without any
inducement to do otherwise, and consequently a thorough-going American
protectionist. Mr. Pierce, in 1888,
contributed to the Homer Republican
an article which that paper lately republished, and which contains the
following:

Abraham Lincoln said that “labor
is the superior of capital and deserves much the higher consideration.” It was
under the leadership of this champion of the poor, the humble and the slave,
that the Republican party won immortal glory. Ours is a grand nation to-day,
because that party has continued to care more for the welfare and steady
employment and independence of laboring men and women than for the pennies that
might be saved by buying our manufactured articles of England. It is true that
college professors, professional men and those who live upon the income of
accumulated capital, might perhaps save a few dollars more each year had we the
system of free trade, but what is the loss of these few compared with the evil
of inventive genius languishing, of our agricultural products enriching the
soil of foreign lands, of the national weakness which would result from our
dependence upon foreign manufacturers for our clothing and other necessaries of
life, and finally of our mills closed and our poorer neighbors without work or
bread, or honest, independent, self-respecting manhood. We can hardly have
forgotten the story of the mounted policemen of London driving the poor starving
wretches from Trafalgar square on a Sunday last winter. Thirty thousand of these
poor, miserable creatures slept out in the squares and parks of London during
the whole of the winter, and hundreds are said to have died from actual
starvation. In the Manchester Guardian
of two years ago, Mr. John Bright is quoted as having said in a speech at
Rochdale as follows: “In the city of Glasgow alone 41,000 families out of 100,000
live in houses having only one room, and in Scotland alone nearly one-third of
the whole people dwell in houses of only one room… The fact is, there passes
before my eyes a vision of millions of families, not individuals, but families,
fathers, mothers, children, passing ghastly, sorrow-stricken, in never-ending procession
from the cradle to the grave.” We turn from this scene of horror, thanking God
that we are Americans, and trusting that this curse of poverty will never blight
our fair land.

FRANKLIN PIERCE.

Homer, Oct. 3, 1888.

When Mr. Pierce next addresses a
Democratic audience he might read them this extract and take himself—if he can—out
of the class of “professional men and those who live upon the income of
accumulated capital,” who “might save a few dollars more each year had we the
system of free trade.” He might also prove—if he can-that the condition of free
trade England’s poor is any better to-day than it was four years ago. Has that “ghastly,
sorrow-stricken never-ending procession” of pauper laborers, or laborers who cannot
get work even at pauper wages because of free trade, with their wives and
children, ceased its march “from the cradle to the grave?” And is Mr. Pierce
praying to God that “this curse of poverty will never blight our fair land” while
he is doing his best to bring about the very same conditions in this country
which have pauperized the English laborer and made “fathers, mothers and children
ghastly and sorrow-stricken?” Such a price would be a large one to pay for Pierce’s
advancement in the Democratic city to which he has moved [Mr. Pierce practiced law in New York City--CC editor], and for “the increase
of the income of his accumulated capital,” but judging from his recent speeches
he is perfectly willing that the country should pay it.

Pierce,rotund and rosy,
hobnobbing with Tammany magnates and waxing fat on spoils, would make a fine
background for a “ghastly and sorrow-stricken procession” of American laborers and
their families, robbed of work and bread by the system which this new apostle
of free trade would inaugurate in our land.

Item.

The Cornell University students
are Republican three to one. In Princeton College, a strong Republican club has
been organized. At Yale the Republican club has a full thousand and the Democratic
club a scant two hundred members. A good story is told in this connection. The
Yale Republicans are disposed to have considerable fun at the expense of the
weaker organization. A day or two ago they hired “Smokes,” the chimney sweep,
to promenade the campus carrying a banner on which was inscribed, “For heaven’s
sake, won’t somebody join the Democratic club.” A similar exhortation, says the Boston Journal, is apparently needed in the
Massachusetts colleges.

At Yale college the high priest
of the free trade teaches the beautiful theory of the British system. Educated
free trade lunatics also occupy chairs of political economy in other
institutions of learning, but American young men are not to be corrupted
politically by fossils and dry-as-dusts. The facts of American prosperity are
stronger with them than the theories of Englishmen and English worshipers.

A Political Crime Without a Parallel.

EVANSVILLE, Ind. Oct. 20.—A
dastardly attempt to wreck a passenger train on the Louisville, St, Louis and
Texas R. R. was made Tuesday night. A special train load of colored Republicans
went from Henderson to Owensboro to participate in a big ratification meeting
there and on their way home the engineer discovered a fire ahead of him on the
track and stopped. An investigation showed that the bridge over Green river had
been fired in several places, while a number of cross ties had been placed on
the track at each end of the bridge. A wreck at that point would have caused a
frightful loss of life.

BREVITIES.

— Mr. M. De Ver Westcott has moved
from his studio in theGraham block to a temporary structure just south
of Warren, Tanner & Co.’s new store. Mr. Westcott will occupy the whole of
the second floor of the new Miller block, which part is designed according to
his plans.

— Master Harry Bostwick of Cortland, the minor son of the late Warren J. Bostwick
formerly of company I., 50th regiment of New York state engineers, has just
been allowed a pension of ten dollars a month, payable to his guardian, which
will continue until he becomes sixteen years of age. L. P. Hollenbeck of
Cortland is his attorney.

—Mrs. Conine of Port Watson-st.
is suing her husband, Mr. Charles Conine, for alleged non-support. The case is
being tried before Judge Bull this afternoon.

—F. S. Dunham has rented the barber
shop on South Main-st. lately occupied by Henry St. Peter and will continue the
business there. All old customers or new made welcome.

—Deputy United States Marshal McIntosh
of Ithaca is in possession of a satchel said to belong to Dietz and Kline, the
men charged with robbing the Moravia postoffice, in which was found a rubber
postoffice stamp, an opium smoking outfit and other articles.
—All Republicans who can furnish
horses and riders for the grand rally on Friday evening, Oct. 21, will please
report on Court-st. at 7:30 sharp or to C. H. Spaulding or Webster Young of the
committee. Those who can furnish horses without riders will also please report.
—Matt Kinney was brought before Judge
Bull this morning on a charge of public intoxication. On signing a pledge for a
year, he was discharged.
—Boys with blackened noses
caused by their coming in contact with smoked glasses while looking at the
eclipse of the sun were numerous on the streets today.

BITS OF NEWS FROM HOMER.

As we sat by the window at the D.,
L. & W. R. R station we noticed “Congressman J. D.” Belden going by with
a wheelbarrow.

Giles Rood of Brewery Hill was
given 25 days straight in the Cortland jail for the privilege of enjoying half
as many hours drunk. He was taken there this morning.

Ami Hoag of Hotel Windsor has
just had a new photograph taken. He truly resembles George Washington.

“General” Rosencrans, the famous
silver-tongued orator of Homer, predicts the election of General Weaver.

The dance at Widger’s hall last
evening is said to have had many startling hairbreadth escapes in connection with
it.

John Doyle, the genial host of
the Central Hotel, has made application to have a two-story addition put on his
hotel. Rush of business is the cause.

W. H. Brown, our well-known
photographer, went to Preble this morning on business.

Two attractions appear at Homer
Opera House this week. Mallery & Richards “A Full Moon” company are billed
for Friday evening and May Davenport’s Folly company for Saturday evening.